Walking to School

A busy town like Delhi can present many dangers to children, especially elementary school students, as they walk home. There are major streets with heavy traffic and many lanes to cross. Learn ways to teach your child how to walk safely to school.

There are some important lessons to teach your child about walking to school. You should work out the safest route and walk this route with your child both to and from school, pointing out things to watch out for and showing him or her the correct way to cross each street. If your child is going anywhere after school other than home, make sure he/she informs a family member. Get the name of the friend being visited and a phone number where he/she may be reached.

Walking school bus program

If many children in your neighborhood take the same route to school, you can organize a Walking School Bus program among the parents. The children will walk to school in a group, with one or more parents accompanying them. Starting with the child living farthest from the school, the group will pick up children along the route as it moves. After school, one or more parents will be at the school to lead the group home.

General safety tips

You should share the following general information or warnings with your child, along with any specific facts about the route:

Never talk to strangers. Never accept rides from strangers. If someone you don’t know offers you a ride, run away from him/her. Run to where there are other people. When you get to school, tell your teacher or principal. When you get home, tell your parents about what happened.

If a stranger tries to grab you, fight against him/her and yell, “Help! This is not my mommy (daddy)!”

Look for and obey the traffic lights. Cross the street only when the sign says walk. If there is not a walk/don’t walk sign, then cross only on the green light.